Elucidating How Chondrocytes Maintain Cartilage Stability
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 3803
Special Issue Editor
2. Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
3. Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
Interests: orthopaedics; chondrocytes; osteoarthritis; arthrofibrosis; tissue engineering
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The overall goal of this Special Issue is to address knowledge gaps that stand in the way of developing novel chondrocyte-based interventions to prevent, forestall, or reverse articular cartilage degeneration.
The unique physiologic adaptations that allow chondrocytes to maintain cartilage homeostasis are incompletely understood, as are the factors that disrupt homeostasis and lead to degeneration. Given the complexity of these processes, the way forward will likely involve detailed molecular analyses of data from cell and tissue culture models, as well as from animal models.
Significant knowledge gaps include the following:
- Mechano-transduction: While it is common knowledge that chondrocytes modulate ECM turnover in response to mechanical stresses, the signal transduction pathways that mediate these effects have not been fully elucidated.
- Inter-cellular communication: Chondrocyte activities are profoundly influenced by factors secreted by other joint cells, including synoviocytes and bone cells. Research in other domains indicates that extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a major role in cell-to-cell communication; however, relatively little is known regarding the role of EVs in maintaining or disrupting cartilage homeostasis.
- Cartilage repair/regeneration: Although stem and resident progenitor cells can be coaxed to produce a cartilage-like tissue, it is unclear to what extent this results in a fully functional, resilient ECM.
- Chondrocyte aging: Age-related increases in chondrocyte apoptosis diminish cellularity, resulting in declines in the ability of chondrocytes to maintain cartilage homeostasis. However, there also appear to be metabolic changes associated with aging that disrupt homeostasis.
- Therapeutic delivery: Efficient targeting of chondrocytes in vivo with minimal off-target effects will require advanced vehicles designed specifically for rate-controlled intra-articular delivery.
Dr. James A. Martin
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- chondrocytes
- articular cartilage
- chondrogenesis
- osteoarthritis
- mechano-transduction
- aging
- extracellular matrix
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
